Value-added services are essential success factors in today’s competitive marketplace. But if prospects are not made aware of these services in compelling proposals, the bottom line value of these services to customers may never be appreciated. To ensure that key service differentiators--rather than just price--drive new sales, Veolia Environmental Services North America implemented Qvidian Proposal Automation. With the help of Qvidian, Veolia’s 125 sales staff now generate more than 4000 proposals every year.
A leading provider of commercial, industrial, and residential environmental services, Veolia had been relying on proposal templates and quick quote paper sheets when pitching new business. The problem with this approach according to Mark Dennis, vice president of sales and marketing for Veolia’s solid waste group, was that “sales were driven by price not service levels. “In addition, since writing skills of sales staff varied, messaging in proposals was not consistent, and proposals were not always as professional as they should have been.
“Since implementing Qvidian in 2009,” he continues, “sales staff generate more proposals, professionalism of presentations has increased dramatically, and, as a result, we have many more opportunities to win deals on the basis of our value, even in cases where we are not the low-cost provider.”
Qvidian enables sales staff to generate proposals quickly and consistently because it is seamlessly integrates with their sales automation solution, Salesforce.com. From a prospect’s record in Salesforce, a sales rep simply clicks on the “proposal” button, chooses the specific proposal format they want to create, and all data already entered in Salesforce is automatically populated into that proposal.
“Before we had Qvidian,” Dennis says, “sales staff typically waited until they were back in the office and had a window of time before they created the price quote required. But with this process it could take days before the proposal was in the prospect’s hands. Now, with Qvidian, reps can generate a proposal on site, send it electronically--or print it locally--and in minutes the proposal is delivered. In cases of inside sales, for services valued at under $250 per month, the process is equally smooth because telephone reps can create and email a proposal while still speaking with the prospect.”
ABOUT VEOLIA ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES NORTH AMERICA CORP.
Based in Chicago, Veolia Environmental Services North America Corp. is the leading provider of fully integrated waste, environmental and industrial cleaning solutions to residential, municipal, commercial and industrial customers across the US, Canada and the Caribbean. The Veolia Environmental Services group is the global benchmark for waste management and resource recovery and the only global manager of liquid, solid, non-hazardous and hazardous wastes. From waste collection to treatment, recovery and recycling, the company provides innovative, efficient and sustainable waste solutions to municipal and industrial clients. Its parent company, Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE and Paris Euronext: VIE), is the worldwide reference in environmental services. With employees in 77 countries, Veolia Environnement recorded annual revenues of over $46 billion in 2010.
